Free
94
/ 100
| A Obstacles to Access | 25 / 25 |
| B Limits on Content | 34 / 35 |
| C Violations of User Rights | 35 / 40 |
Last Year's Score & Status
94 / 100 Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Iceland remained the world’s best environment for internet freedom during the coverage period. Users enjoyed near-universal connectivity, minimal restrictions on online content, and strong protections for their fundamental rights. However, cyberattacks have targeted government websites and media outlets in recent years.
- An October 2024 study found that Iceland residents had increasingly turned to online news sources and away from legacy media outlets. It also reported that there was relatively little political polarization among news consumers (B7).1
- In late 2024, it was reported that an LGBT+ group had filed a civil suit against a gay rights activist and politician who had been critical of the transgender rights movement on social media, accusing him of hate speech.2 The activist separately claimed that police were investigating his social media posts (C3).3
- In June 2024, daily newspaper Morgunblaðið’s affiliated website and radio station were taken offline for three hours after their parent company, Árvakur, was struck with a cyberattack attributed to the Russian hacking group Akira (C8).4
Iceland is a parliamentary democracy with a long history of upholding political rights and civil liberties. However, links between elected representatives and business interests remain a concern, as does the concentration of private media ownership.
This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.
For additional background information, see last year’s full report.
A1 0-6 pts
| Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? | 6 / 6 |
A2 0-3 pts
| Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? | 3 / 3 |
A3 0-6 pts
| Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? | 6 / 6 |
A4 0-6 pts
| Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? | 6 / 6 |
A5 0-4 pts
| Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? | 4 / 4 |
B1 0-6 pts
| Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 5 / 6 |
B2 0-4 pts
| Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 4 / 4 |
B3 0-4 pts
| Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? | 4 / 4 |
B4 0-4 pts
| Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? | 4 / 4 |
B5 0-4 pts
| Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? | 4 / 4 |
B6 0-3 pts
| Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? | 3 / 3 |
B7 0-4 pts
| Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? | 4 / 4 |
B8 0-6 pts
| Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? | 6 / 6 |
C1 0-6 pts
| Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? | 6 / 6 |
C2 0-4 pts
| Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 3 / 4 |
C3 0-6 pts
| Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 6 / 6 |
C4 0-4 pts
| Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? | 4 / 4 |
C5 0-6 pts
| Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 6 / 6 |
C6 0-6 pts
| Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 4 / 6 |
C7 0-5 pts
| Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? | 5 / 5 |
C8 0-3 pts
| Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? | 1 / 3 |
Footnotes
- 1Jón Gunnar Ólafsson and Valgerður Jóhannsdóttir, “Polarisation, News Consumption, and Beliefs in Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories: Early Signs of the Fragmentation of the Public Sphere in Iceland,” Javnost - The Public, 31(3), October 2024, 440–458, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13183222.2024.2383905#d1e1….
- 2Sólrún Dögg Jósefsdóttir, “Á sér langa sögu eldfimra ummæla [He Has a Long History of Inflammatory Remarks],” Vísir, November 30, 2024, https://www.visir.is/g/20242657705d/a-ser-langra-sogu-eld-fimra-um-maela; Jakob Bjarnar, “Eldur Smári segir að sér sé markvisst haldið í myrkrinu [Eldur Smári Says He is Purposefully Kept in the Dark],” Vísir, April 23, 2025, https://www.visir.is/g/20252717626d/eldur-smari-segir-ad-ser-se-markvis….
- 3Jackson Walker, “Icelandic Gay Activist Says Police Investigating Him for Questioning Trans Breastfeeding,” NBC 15 News, December 16, 2024, https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/icelandic-gay-activist-says-polic….
- 4Jóhannes Bjarkason, “Media Company Árvakur Hit By Russian Cyber Attack,” Reykavík Grapevine, June 25, 2024, https://grapevine.is/news/2024/06/25/media-company-arvakur-hit-by-russi….
